


The High Road

by RunRabbitRun



Category: Thief (Video Games)
Genre: Comedy, Fluff, Gen, Older Man/Younger Woman, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Sex Positive, Virginity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-18
Updated: 2014-04-18
Packaged: 2018-01-19 21:29:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1484710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RunRabbitRun/pseuds/RunRabbitRun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erin wants Basso to be her first and Basso's deeply-buried inner decency catches up with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The High Road

_Heaven help me_ , Basso thought.

"You want me... to show you how it works."

"Yes," Erin said, rolling her eyes. She met Basso's skeptical gaze for a second, then continued glaring disdainfully at the ceiling.

"Uh, forgive me for bringing it up, but didn't you spend most of your growing up in the House of Blossoms? I mean-"

"I never _did it_ ," Erin sniped. "And I know how it works. I know what happens. I just..." She trailed off and then huffed in exasperation, plunking down on a rickety wooden bench and crossing her arms. She curled into herself defensively, making her look much smaller than she was. She was already small, all of sixteen years old and still about knee-high to a grasshopper as far as Basso was concerned.

"Look, Erin... why me? I'm too old for you. Why don't you find some stable boy to, uh, help you out?" Basso fished desperately for words, suddenly feeling ancient and unclean, having this conversation with this girl-child.

"I don't want some boy I don't even know!" Erin spat. "I want it to be good. It's supposed to be good, right? I want my first time to be with someone I can... someone I can trust."

Basso sat down on the bench next to her. He looked at her stony profile and felt something warm and unfamiliar move within him.

Basso could search the long memory of his entire life and never think of a prettier girl than Erin. At her gawky age she was already lovelier than any grown woman he'd ever been with. In a few years she'd be grown and filled-out and even more beautiful. She'd already been through enough that she practically _was_ grown, through sheer experience and force of will. He'd trust her to handle herself with some stableboy, and he trusted now that she knew exactly what she was asking for; she wasn't some sheltered nobleman's daughter or uneducated maidservant. He could have her, if he wanted. He could say yes and fuck her and she wouldn't say no. At his age, it was unlikely he'd get so lucky ever again...

He looked at her a long time. She was such a twiggy little thing, but her face still presented a little roundness left over from her childhood. She had the slight, reddish reminds of a spot just under her jawline. It wasn't so long ago she'd been little more than a child, running away from a godsdamned _brothel_. 

This was Erin, his fierce little Erin.

Basso sighed. She wasn't a fool. Young and brash maybe, but no fool. And neither was he. To put his hands on her now would be a nail in his coffin.

"I can't do that, Erin."

"Why not?" She demanded, unfolding her arms and thumping her fists on her knees. "I told you I know what will happen, I'm not stupid-"

"No, you're not. So don't waste your time with me, alright?" Basso said. The warm feeling inside grew hot and near-painful. He wanted to grab Erin and shake her, but he kept his hands to himself. "There's no great secret to fucking. It doesn't make you wiser or harder. It's just... it is what it is. Your first time won't make you more of an adult or less of a kid. Trust me, I know fucking," he said when Erin opened her mouth to interrupt. "Still, your first time should be... special. With someone who deserves you. That's not me, Erin."

"I'll go to Garrett, then," she said, nose in the air. Basso barked a laugh.

"I don't think I've even seen that boy look at a woman except to take stock of her purse. I don't even think I've seen him look at _men_ ," Basso said with a laugh. He scratched at his stubble. "Nah, kid. He'll just tell you what I'm telling you now: find someone young and gentle and easy to cut loose later if you want. You deserve something good, better than a couple of old blackhands."

Erin stared for minute, a sneer on her mouth, but then she sighed and unfolded herself, relaxing.

"I actually do know a stableboy. He's... cute. And sweet to the animals."

"Go get 'im, then. Show him who's the boss," Basso said, quashing the urge to find this stable-boy and scare the life out of him with a well-placed threat. Erin could handle a 'cute stableboy' without his help, he reminded himself.

"Go get what?" said Garrett, sliding in through a window and nearly making both Basso and Erin jump out of their skins.

"None of your business!" Erin shrieked, swiping at Garrett with a fist.

"For God's sake for once in your life use the fucking door like a normal person!"

**Author's Note:**

> For a prompt on the [Kink Meme](http://thief-kink.dreamwidth.org/681.html?thread=1449#cmt1449). 
> 
> So I get really, really tired of the old (inaccurate and borderline rape apologist) SEXY TEENAGE SEDUCTRESS bull. You see it in the news a lot lately: an adult man in a position of power (such as a teacher) takes advantage of a much younger woman (usually a student) and never faces any consequences because she _obviously_ seduced him. 
> 
> This fic kind of came from a desire to address that. Basso is older, more experienced, and has Erin's trust, putting him in a position of power over her. If they DID have sex, even if Erin consented, there would be a big power discrepancy between them and I wanted to avoid that. HOWEVER, I didn't want to have Basso being a patronizing patriarch trying to protect Erin because she's "just a silly girl". Erin's young and brash but she has enough life experience under her belt that she's capable of making her own choices about her own body. 
> 
> So this fic is basically an attempt to compromise and show an older man doing the right thing: being a responsible adult and saying 'No' to a potential toxic interaction, but without falling back on Ye Olde Benevolent Sexism and denying a young woman power over her own choices. Did I succeed? I dunno! I hope so <3


End file.
